A note
On the brink…
What IS UP guys???!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Sorry for the excessive exclamatories, but today is my Friday 🙂
You know that feeling you get when you’re on the brink of heading out on vacation? The excitement, and butterflies, and that never-freaking-ending list of things to do? That’s where I’m at right now! Granted, I’m only heading to Atlanta for the weekend–a mere 3 hour drive—but I’m still oober pumped to hit the road for a little rest and relaxation and some quality eat-my-face-off time 
In all honesty, ever since moving to Charlotte it has kind of felt like I’m on a 24/7 vacation… well with the exception of those mandatory hours dedicated to work, of course. Pretty much everything in this city is new to me, so every day provides the opportunity to get out and experience something different!
A couple weekends back, the BF and I decided to take a walk and do some exploring in The Queen City. As we strolled uptown we stumbled upon Charlotte’s LGBT Pride Festival. I swear there is some sort of festival every weekend here. Barbeque, blues, nascar, gay pride and everything in between. You name it, we’ve got it. After elbowing our way through the crowd, we decided to head over to the EpiCentre for lunch at Mortimers courtesy of a Living Social Deal I snagged.
Baller.
The first time I went to Mortimers, I wasn’t super impressed. But Jarrod had been there a time or two after that encounter and had raving reviews so I figured the Living Social deal was a good excuse to give it another go. Let’s be honest. I’m up for any excuse to use a coupon.
The weather was perfect in Charlotte—mid 80s and gloriously sunny–so we plopped down at one of the tables outside.
Mortimers has a pretty extensive menu. In’t it funny how that can be a very good thing (lot’s of options!) or a very bad thing (I can be slightly indecisive… can I take one of everything?!)? Mortimers had SO MANY things on the menu that looked good. Paninis, wraps, salads, burgers, quesadillas, chili cheese fries (*DROOL*). Needless to say, I had a hard time deciding.
We decided on the Parthenon Pizza for our appetizer. The menu touted this dish as pie cut grilled pita served with hummus, roasted red pepper tapenade & avocado spread. Even with this description, I still envisioned a “PIZZZA” and was a little sad when the app arrived:
This does not say “PIZZA,” and none of the three dips were all that great. The pita bread however was warm from the oven and super soft in my mouth… Mmmmm I am such a sucker for all things bread. I think I downed half the plate.
Last time Jarrod went to Mortimers he had the Roast Beef Sliders ap and he couldn’t stop raving about them. So next time we’ll go with the tried and true rather than venturing into the unknown.
Jarrod went with Landen’s Chicken Gyro and Coleslaw:
The Gyro was had grilled chicken, tomato, onion, some cucumber and lettuce, and a bit of tzatziki sauce:
By now Jarrod knows it’s mandatory to offer me a bite of his dish, so when he offered up a bite of the gyro I acted surprised by his sweet gesture then happily obliged 😉
The gyro was good, but my sandwich was GREAT. Mwah hah haaaaaaaa. I win the who-will-order-the-better-meal game again!
I got the Big Easy Wrap, complete with salsalito spiced turkey, bacon, pepper jack cheese, roasted red peppers, avocado, mixed lettuces, and Cajun-style mayo. The wrap didn’t really remind me of any food I had when we were in New Orleans, BUT it did make my belly quite happy.
What DID remind me of New Orleans was the inside of Mortimers. It was dim inside with dark wood covering every inch of the place. The lights hung low from a decorative tray-tiled ceiling and made me feel like I’d stepped right into NOLA!
Overall Mortimers moved up a few notches from my last visit, and I’ll definitely head back again.
Now there’s just a few hours of work, one eyebrow wax, a trip to the dry cleaners, and a car wash between me and my mini vaca 🙂
Game day chili
Hope you guys got some quality football viewing in this Sunday! The Browns were VICTORIOUS as was my first ever attempt at making chili!
Any time I’m trying out a new dish, I like to find a fairly basic recipe to help guide me through the process. After some googling, I decided to go with this recipe for “easy chili” because it had a high rating and because any recipe that has “easy” in the title gets extra brownie points in my book. And I think we all know how I feel about brownies by now.
Even with this “easy” recipe in hand, there were a couple of obstacles I needed to overcome: I happen to LOATHE kidney beans and the BF happens to LOATHE red meat. Yet, we both claim to LOVE chili. ??? I’m not sure how that works exactly, but it reminds me of being a picky eater as a kid and refusing to try guacamole just because it was green. Kermit said it best. It ain’t easy being green.
Something in the air…
Is it just me, or is there something in the air that’s making you all want to sleep for 13 hours a day too? Something urging you to bust out that box of winter clothes and dig through the buried treasures you tucked away last April until you find the softest most oversized of all the sweaters. You wrap yourself up in its comforting embrace, pull on a pair of your finest high-waisted sweatpants, and sprawl out on the couch watching random cable tv shows. Or, if you’re like me and joined project cancel-your-cable-and-use-$$$-to-support-your-coffee-addiction then you’d be sprawled out on the couch watching whatever show your rabbit ears happen to pick up that evening… Hello Seinfield reruns and round the clock local news. Woot! All of this in lieu of any sort of exercise or productivity and preferably enjoyed whilst you pack your belly full of comfort foods… and hey, let’s throw in a brownie and a glass of wine while we’re at it.
What IS that in the air?
Ohhhhh hiiiii, Fall.
More expensive don’t mean more tasty.
A couple weekends ago, the BF was feeling fancy coupled with an apparent hole burning away in his pocket so he offered to take me to ANY restaurant I wanted. Usually when I’m trying to pick a restaurant price is one of my top considerations (whether or not I’m paying). I admit to being a major cheapo, but besides that charming trait I just don’t think it’s necessary to pay an arm and a leg for a good meal! Plus, the more I’m paying, the higher my expectations and I DO NOT like to be disappointed when it comes to my food.
Since Jarrod was adamant that he wanted something over the top, we decided to go to Firebirds in South Park. Firebirds seemed like a safe bet because it’s one of the most frequent restaurant recommendations I get when I ask people their top picks in Charlotte. Even with all the positive reviews, I hadn’t ventured over to Firebirds due to their prices which average about $20 a plate for dinner.
It was a beautiful night, so we decided to take advantage of their patio seating. Walking through the restaurant and onto the patio, I started to fall in love with the place. I loved the wood-fired smell that poured out from the open kitchen, and I loved the posh yet modern decor.
Outside they had about 10 tables on the patio and a cute little sitting area complete with a large fireplace.
After perusing the menu, the BF decided on the Cilantro Grilled Chicken Breast (i.e., the only pasta-less chicken dish on the menu):
I went with the Chile Rubbed Delmonico steak:
It was nearly 10pm by the time we got our food, and I always get a little bummed when it’s too dark for good pics 🙁
Sensing my frustration, Jarrod realized our table was in a prime location right next to a spotlight. In an act of pure chivalry, he shielded me from view while I snagged a few shots:
See now? Chicken!
Steak and potatoes!
Talk about teamwork 🙂
The BF really liked his chicken dish, but my steak was bleghhhhhhhh. So fatty, and unflavorful. It was like they nixed the “chile” and swapped in gristly bits of meat. I ate about a third of it. A THIRD.
Unheard of.
Luckily, the southwest au gratin potatoes were quite yummy. So cheesy with a slight bite to them. But were they worth the $20 price tag of the dish?
I think not.
Whenever I have a subpar meal at a restaurant, there’s a little part of me that wants to complain to the waiter or manager. I don’t think I’ve ever actually followed through on this desire… well except for those few times a hair has made its way into my food. THAT is just not ok. Instant appetite squelcher… yuck just the thought of it makes me queasy!
What about you? Do you let your waiter know if your meal is crappy?
